Heaven's Cry
by Chain Whip's Whisper
Summary: Alrighty, I'm slowly getting the stuff on my computer working again, and this is the first part of one of last year's posts that I have recovered... enjoy! >> Seifer/Quistis; A third Sorceress War may erupt and Squall's nowhere to be found...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy 8 or anything related to it... I just borrowed the characters for a little while. ^.^;;  
  
Author's Note: Hey, while I'm working on "Eye of the Storm" and seeing how "Heart of a Lion, Wings of an Angel" is probably going to be a flop, I decided to try my hand out at a Quistis/Seifer fic. (I don't like the term Quiefer that much...) This should have a happier mood than "Eye of the Storm"... More like a PG thing, at most PG13.  
  
All right, so here I go... What happens when Squall and Rinoa disappear after the Second Sorceress War and it's discovered that the Third War is about to start? Who's behind it? Who's going to stop it? How are they going to stop it?  
  
"When the Heavens Cry"  
[ - - Prologue - - ]  
  
      A young girl, a child of only 6, with shimmering strawberry blond hair, pulled into a high ponytail, danced merrily about the meadow, collecting only the purest of the white daisies she pranced around. Her crystal blue eyes glistened, as she sang happily weaving the daises into a crown fit for a young queen. She placed it atop her head and twirled, her red sundress following her every movement.  
  
      Another young girl, aged 5, with long brown hair with a pale yellow dress ran out to greet the blond, her bright green eyes matching the fresh summer grass. "Quisty!" she called out a spirited tone. "Quisty! Quistiiiiis!"  
  
      The older girl looked up and squinted under the midday sun, her gaze falling toward the stone house she lived in with her friends and her Matron. She smiled and stood up, a basket full of daises in her arms. "Sefie! I'm here!"  
  
      The shorter brunette waved her arms from the garden at the side of the house. "Quisty! Seifer's picking on Zell again! He got mad when Zell wouldn't tell him where yoo were!"  
  
      Quistis giggled lightly, running toward the stone house. Only she, Quistis Trepe, could tame the wild beast that was Seifer Almasy. Quistis giggled once more as she reached her friend Sefie, Selphie Tilmitt, and placed a crown of daises upon her head as well. "Let's go play 'Castle', ok? And we'll make everyone play too!"  
  
      Selphie nodded. "Ok! I'll get Irvy and Squall! Yoo get Seifer and Zell!"  
  
      Quistis nodded and ran the opposite direction as Selphie, making her way in through the back door of the house. "Zell!" Quistis called out. "It's Quisty! Where are yoo?"  
  
      "Quisty!" cried a young blond boy with aqua blue eyes, about 5, running behind Quistis for shelter. "Ah, help me!"  
  
      "Cry-baby-Zell! Where'd yoo go?" came a voice, followed a second later by a second boy with golden blond hair, age 6, with a stick in his hand. "There yoo are! Get outta my way, Quisty!"  
  
      Quistis put a hand on her hip. "No. We're all gonna play together!" the young girl stated firmly.  
  
      The golden haired boy pouted suddenly, dropping the stick to the side. "What're we gonna play, Quisty?" he asked, eyeing the younger blond behind her.  
  
      Zell stuck his tongue out at Seifer, while Quistis answered. "We're gonna play 'Castle'!" she told them happily. "Let's go outside and meet Sefie, Irvy, and Squall, ok?"  
  
      Zell nodded and ran out to the back before Seifer had a chance to see him. Quistis giggled and turned to her golden haired friend... her best friend. "Seifey!" she teased with a hug.  
  
      Seifer frowned. "Don't call me that. And don't hug me."  
  
      Quistis look hurt. "Huh? Why not? I always do, yoo know... When no one is around..."  
  
      Seifer stopped at the door and turned toward her. "Yoo like Zell more than yoo like me. And besides Zell, there's *him*. Ever since Elle went away, you look at *him* and talk to *him* more than me," he said, looking down at the floor with his deep blue eyes, his cheeks growing a nice rosy pink.  
  
      Quistis raised an eyebrow knowing exactly who he was talking about, then smiled. "Seifey! Yoo're gonna like this game!" she shouted, hooking his elbow and taking him outside.  
  
      A little boy with reddish auburn hair, some falling in front of his eyes, looked up from the grass at the two older children. "Quisty! Help me!" he cried from beneath three other children; One was the happy little brunette, the second was the little blond boy, and the third was another 5 year old boy with the sky in his eyes and shiny soft brown hair.  
  
      Quistis giggled. "Sefie! Zell! Get off! You too Squall!"  
  
      The three young children giggled. "But Quisty..." they whined, reluctantly getting off their friend.  
  
      Quistis shook her head. Selphie was the last to get off, helping Irvine to his feet. "Irvy, I'm sorry!" she told him, giving the slightly taller boy a tight squeeze.  
  
      "It's ok, Sefie, yoo'll always be my Butterfly. Yoo didn't weigh that much anyway..." he turned to Zell. "But yoo... Did you get into the kitchen after dinner, again?"  
  
      Quistis realized that Zell was about to start wailing again, so she spoke up quickly. "Ok!! We're gonna play 'Castle' and we have to have parts!" She ran over to a flat rock. "Ok, the King and the Queen are gonna sit here and they're gonna have a princess! And then there are gonna be knights who try and get the princess!"  
  
      Sefie giggled. "I wanna be the princess! I wanna be the princess!" she shouted, pumping her fist in the air.  
  
      Quistis nodded. "Ok, then me and Seifer are gonna be the Queen and the King 'cause we're the oldest!"  
  
      "Woo-hoo!" Selphie shouted. "Irvy'll be my knight in shining armor and Squally and Zelly are kidnap me and take me away!"  
  
      Everyone nodded and scattered about the yard. Quistis and Seifer sat upon their cold thrones, with Selphie standing before them. Zell and Squall scattered off to the side and Irvine ran to the door and sat on the step. Selphie, seeing everyone in their place, smiled and turned to Quistis and Seifer. "Mommy! Daddy! I picked a prince, and he's a sweetie!"  
  
      They played that day, played until supper time, and long after they were supposed to be asleep. They continued to play, with the same roles, over and over until finally their Matron woke up to the sounds of sticks beating against each other in the room her children shared. Rushing in, she tucked them all into their beds and blew out the candles. In the bed at the corner, a little blond girl turned to the bed at her left. "Pssst! Seifey! Are yoo awake?" she called in a whisper.  
  
      "I am now!" he answered roughly. "I was trying to sleep, Quisty!"  
  
      "I'm sorry, Seifey... Come outside with me?" she asked softly, slipping from her bed and tiptoeing to his, tugging the sheets off of him.  
  
      "Ok, ok..." he mumbled, reluctantly sitting up and following the girl out the door. "Where are going?"  
  
      The little girl stayed silently and led him to the beach behind the house, which was past the yard and down the stone steps. She sat on the beach, at a spot where the waves were just out of reach, but close enough to feel the breeze against her skin. She waited until the blond boy sat beside her before she started to speak. "Did you like the game, Seifer?"  
  
      Seifer laid back on the beach, and stared into the clear night sky, the moon suspended among the stars, full and high. "Yea, it was fun... I got to boss around Selphie and put Zell and Squall in the dungeon."  
  
      Quistis laid down beside her best friend, gazing up at the heavens. "Did you like being the King?"  
  
      Seifer shrugged. "Yea... It's always been a dream, really.... Ever since Matron read us those stories when we would go to bed, I wanted to be a King and rule over other people... And I'd be fair too..."  
  
      Quistis giggled. "Well, wouldn't you need a queen?"  
  
      Seifer glanced over at his friend and then back up at the stars. "I guess... But I don't want just any queen... I want someone who knows me and won't take all my gil and stuff."  
  
      "How 'bout this," Quistis offered, sitting up and turning toward her friend. "When yoo become a King, then I'll be your Queen."  
  
      Seifer sat up too. "What if yoo become a Queen first?"  
  
      Quistis shrugged. "Then yoo'll be my King... So, when one of us gets a kingdom, we'll both meet here... Right at this very spot."  
  
      Seifer thought a moment. "But how will we know when to come?"  
  
      Quistis also took a moment to think. "We'll just know 'cause we're best friends!" she told him and hugged him before laying down again and watching the stars shine.  
  
      Seifer smiled at her and then laid down too, both just staring at the sheet of black space above them, glittering with gold and silver.  
  
      Little did they know that a pair of knowing eyes watched them from the top of the stone stairway. Matron. She smiled at them, knowing the things they will go through. She could see the battle they would take part in along with her other children. They would all have to battle her someday, and she knew they'd succeed with the help of their quiet Squall... After that, however, there was something else... Something unclear... Something that Squall wouldn't be able to help with... Something Quistis and Seifer would have to do themselves or else all would be lost... All they she had was a scroll:  
  
"The Knight will become a King  
The Watcher will become a Queen  
When the midnight clouds gather  
And shroud the world in mist  
The King will seek the Queen  
They will fight together side by side  
Four warriors will appear to aide them  
One with eyes like an emerald  
The spirit of the faeries  
One with eyes like a misty opal  
With a weapon of chrome  
One with eyes like the ocean  
Flying fists of steel  
One with eyes like the dark night  
Quick like the wind  
If they prove to be the victors,  
The sun will emerge from hiding  
The moon will be placed among it's glitter  
If they die bravely in the battle,   
The mighty rains will pour from the Heavens  
And forever trap the planet it's Cry."  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? (for other reasons than new characters) Good? Bad? Great? Sucked? Give me some input! ^.^ I hope that you liked it though... I'd like to know how you thought of it so leave a review or email me if you'd like! Thanks for reading! I hope to keep this series going for a bit! 


	2. The Beginning

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy 8 or anything related to it... I just borrowed the characters for a little while. ^.^;;  
  
All right, so here I go... What happens when Squall and Rinoa disappear after the Second Sorceress War and it's discovered that the Third War is about to start? Who's behind it? Who's going to stop it? How are they going to stop it?  
  
"When the Heavens Cry"  
[ - - Part One - - ]  
  
      Quistis Trepe sat silently at her desk in her dorm room. She had been rummaging through odds and ends in an effort to clean up her room when she stumbled upon a small scroll in a box, hidden in the back of her closet. It had been a year since the day they arrived back in Balamb Garden, battered and bruised, but alive. Since then, Squall had the Garden re-rooted in it's former position at the end of the path near Balamb. She sighed and looked down to read the scroll aloud to herself:  
  
"The Knight will become a King  
The Watcher will become a Queen  
When the midnight clouds gather  
And shroud the world in mist  
The King will seek the Queen  
They will fight together side by side  
Four warriors will appear to aide them  
One with eyes like an emerald  
The spirit of the faeries  
One with eyes like a misty opal  
With a weapon of chrome  
One with eyes like the ocean  
Flying fists of steel  
One with eyes like the dark night  
Quick like the wind  
If they prove to be the victors,  
The sun will emerge from hiding  
The moon will be placed among it's glitter  
If they die bravely in the battle,   
The mighty rains will pour from the Heavens  
And forever trap the planet in it's Cry."  
  
      Quistis pondered for a moment what it could mean and then shook her head lightly. "This is silly... It's probably one of the old stories Matron used to read us... I remember her telling us a story of knights when we were little... That's probably where Seifer got his silly idea...."  
  
      Hmm... She got herself thinking of Seifer now. She raised an eyebrow gazing down at the scroll. Why was she thinking about him? Especially now... She hadn't seen him in a year and all of a sudden he pops up in her mind?  
  
      She rolled up the scroll and tucked it securely under her pillow as a faint knocking came from her door. "Coming," she announced as she smoothed the wrinkles from her sheets.  
  
      She pressed a button beside her door and watched as it disappeared into the wall. "Can I help you?" she asked the figure standing before her.  
  
      The figure looked up; She was girl. She had long black hair that reached her waist; The bottom 4 inches or so were dyed an electric blue -- her bangs matching the striking blue color as well. She had dark eyes, almost black, with just a hint of violet. She wore an orange tank-top and baggy forest green pants, almost covering her gray sneakers completely, carrying with her a black backpack. She was about 5'2'' and seemed to be a cheery person in general, her smile never leaving her face. "Hi, I'm Kimari Loire. Are you Quistis Trepe?"  
  
      Quistis nodded, recognizing the last name; Loire. It was the same as Squall's father, Laguna Loire. "Yes, I am... How can I help you?"  
  
      "Um, well, I came here to find Squall Leonhart by orders of my Uncle Laguna... I went to the office on the third floor, but the man there... Nida, I think, his name was... told me that Squall wasn't here and to find you 'cause you're the one in charge while Squall is gone... So he told me your dorm number and here I am... Um, so, do you know where Squall is?" Kimari explained.  
  
      Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Well, Ms. Loire..."  
  
      Kimari shook her head. "No formalities, please... Kim is fine."  
  
      Quistis nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. "Well, Kim, Squall left with his girlfriend Rinoa three days ago to meet with President Loire in Esthar... Nobody at this Garden has heard from them since."  
  
      "That's why I'm here," Kim told her. "He was supposed to arrive by train two days ago... I was supposed to meet my cousin and his girlfriend at the station just outside of Esthar... I was really looking forward to seeing him again, but he never showed up. I waited all day, thinking maybe he just got on a later train, but when night started to fall and he still wasn't there, I went back to Uncle Laguna. He called here, but someone just told him that Squall and Rinoa had already gone. Uncle Laguna started to get really worried so he sent me here to find him."  
  
      Quistis stood up straight. "They haven't contacted the president in anyway?"  
  
      Kim shook her head. "No."  
  
      Quistis stepped forward, turning and pressing an access code into the panel beside her door. She turned toward Kim and nodded, "We'll find them... Follow me."  
  
      She led Kim to the bridge and picked up the microphone. She switched it on and spoke quickly. "Zell, Selphie, Irvine... This is Quistis. Come to the bridge quickly."  
  
      Within minutes, Zell, Selphie and Irvine met Kim and Quistis in the office below the bridge. "What's up?" Zell asked as he strolled up to the older girl. He turned to Kim. "Aren't you Squall's cousin? I think I've seen a picture of you and Ellone in his room..."  
  
      Kim smiled, as Quistis started to speak. "Well, we have reason to believe that Squall and Rinoa are missing. They failed to appear in Esthar and have not contacted anyone since they left, over three days ago." She turned to Kim. "This is Squall's cousin, Kim... President Loire sent her to find Squall's whereabouts... We're going to help her find them."  
  
      Selphie frowned. "Missing? Super-bummer... Where should we start looking?" she asked worriedly.  
  
      Irvine placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. She looked up and pouted. He smiled reassuringly at her. "It's ok, Sefie... We'll find 'em... So, Quisty, what's the plan?" he asked the former Instructor turned Second in Command.  
  
      Quistis shrugged. "I really don't know... We don't have any clues... Right now, I think we should just split up and search for even the slightest clues... We know they're not in Esthar, so we don't have to look there. Selphie, Irvine; You two check out the Trabian area... Maybe they took a detour there or something. Zell, you take Kim and check out the Galbadian area... Try to find out anything you can. I'll leave Xu in charge here and check out Centra, maybe even see if Edea and Cid have seen them... Does that sound ok?"  
  
      Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Kim all nodded in unison. Quistis smiled. "All right... Then we'll meet at the front gate in an hour... Pack up anything you'll need for about a week... I'm sure we'll find them by then."  
  
      Irvine and Zell saluted and turned to take the elevator down to the first floor. Selphie stayed a minute longer and introduced herself to Kim. She, Quistis, and Kim started for the dorms together, giggling slightly. "So, you think Zell is cute?" Selphie asked the newcomer.  
  
      Kim blushed slightly. "Rinoa once showed me a video tape... I think it was back when she and Squall first came to visit Ellone, Uncle Laguna and I in Esthar... Zell was eating hot dogs or something and started to choke on them... He looked so innocent..."  
  
      Quistis and Selphie started to a laugh a bit more loudly. "I remember that!" Selphie announced.  
  
      Quistis nodded. "Irvine couldn't keep the camera still, I think he was laughing a bit too hard...And Zell's girlfriend was panicking and started to run around like a chicken without a head... It was a sight to see..."  
  
      Kim's grin slightly lessened to a mere smile. "Oh, he has a girlfriend?"  
  
      Selphie shook her head. "Not anymore... She and Zell got into a big, big, super duper jumbo argument and she asked to transfer to Trabia Garden when it was rebuilt."  
  
      Kim nodded. "Oh..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
      An hour passed; Irvine and Zell, both carrying duffle bags, waited patiently at the front gate. Kim and Selphie came giggling a few minutes later, followed by Quistis by only a moment. "Ready?" she asked, walking up to the small group.  
  
      She started down the concrete path toward Balamb with the rest of the party following beside her. "Ok, so everyone's clear on what to do, right? Irvine and Selphie take the 2 o'clock train to Trabia and see what you can find... Zell and Kim, take the 2:15 to Deling and start your search there... I'll be leaving on the 4:00 train to Timber, where there's a helicopter waiting to take me to the Kramer's house in Centra."  
  
      The group parted at the Balamb Train Station; Irvine and Selphie boarded their train first, saying quick good-byes. Kim and Zell had gone to see Zell's mother before boarding their train 15 minutes later. Quistis walked about the town, wondering what she could possibly do for an hour and 45 minutes.  
  
      She absentmindedly made her way to the docks, dangling her feet over the pier. She sighed and took the scroll from her bag. She read it over and rolled her eyes. "Now, what made me bring this?" she asked herself. She couldn't really answer her question either. She just had the urge to keep it near her.  
  
      Setting down the scroll beside her, she glanced at her watch and saw that it was only 3 o'clock, give or take a minute or two. Her eyes fell back to the ocean before her as the breeze brushed against her skin; Intently, she watched the ocean, sparkling and glittering as if just for her. She frowned momentarily thinking to herself that all she ever did was watch; She watched over everything instead of jumping in and joining. She shrugged it off, thinking that's the way she was. With a sigh, she smiled as she closed her eyes, grabbing hold of the clip in her hair and pulling it free, letting her long golden hair cascade down her back.  
  
      She sighed once more, feeling at peace just listening to the waves ripple lightly. She seemed to be lost in time, not quite keeping track of the time. She flinched slightly as she heard a familiar voice; A voice she hadn't heard in over a year. "Instructor?"  
  
      Quistis' eyes jolted open. She turned to look behind her, where the voice had originated from. "Seifer?!"  
  
      Seifer Almasy walked toward her. "It's nice to see you too, Instructor..."  
  
      Quistis turned back toward the ocean. "You know very well that I'm not an instructor anymore..."  
  
      Seifer shrugged. "Hmm, just think of it as a nickname then... So, what brings you here? You know you're in my favorite fishing spot?" he told her, gesturing to Raijin and Fujin, both leaning against a car with fishing gear at their feet.  
  
      Quistis stood up, grabbing her bag hastily. "What no rude comments? No insults?" She shook her head, as if telling him not to answer. "Forget it... I was just going anyway," she mumbled as she walked past him.  
  
      Seifer grabbed her arm. "Quistis, listen, I'm really sorry," he said rather quickly.  
  
      "Seifer, to be honest, I don't want to hear it," she told him. "I really have to go, I'm going to miss my train if I don't. See ya around." She stepped back slowly as Seifer released her arm. She turned around and walked away from the pier.  
  
      Seifer watched her until she disappeared around the corner. He frowned at his former instructor; She had never been so cold to him before... If anything, she was always the one who saw the good in him; Pushing him to his very limits.  
  
      He glanced down at his foot as a scroll rolled over and tapped it lightly; Quistis must have left it. He bent over and picked it up, unrolling it and reading it to himself. It seemed familiar somehow, but from where? He remembered Matron once talking about Kings and Queens; Was that it? That was so long ago, though... And why had Quistis had it?  
  
      He walked back toward his posse, tucking the scroll into his inside coat pocket, and stopped before them. "You know what? Um, go on without me and meet me back at the apartment later... I have to go talk to Quistis about something..."  
  
      Fujin and Raijin both nodded, picking up the gear and carefully walking toward the end of the pier. Seifer watched them as they sat down and went on his way, rounding the same corner Quistis had earlier. He remembered she had mentioned something about a train, so he headed toward the Balamb Train Station. He glanced at his watch; 4:05. No more trains would be leaving after 4pm. He watched as the last train pulled out; This was the only train Quistis could have boarded, determined from the time she left from the pier. He turned toward the train schedule posted on the wall behind him. The last train was heading for Timber.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? (for other reasons than new characters) Good? Bad? Great? Sucked? Give me some input! ^.^ I hope that you liked it though... I'd like to know how you thought of it so leave a review or email me if you'd like! Thanks for reading! I hope to keep this series going for a bit! 


	3. The King will Seek the Queen

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy 8 or anything related to it... I just borrowed the characters for a little while. ^.^;;  
  
All right, so here I go... What happens when Squall and Rinoa disappear after the Second Sorceress War and it's discovered that the Third War is about to start? Who's behind it? Who's going to stop it? How are they going to stop it?  
  
"When the Heavens Cry"  
  
[ - - Part Two - - ]  
  
      Quistis stared at the ceiling of the rebuilt stone home she had grown up in. She had been there three days already and no luck in finding any clues as to where her missing friends could possibly be. She turned to her side, the sofa bed creaking slightly. She wondered how everyone else was doing. Did they find anything? And where did she put that scroll? Should she ask Matron about it?  
  
      She sat up suddenly, hearing faint footsteps. Matron. "Are you all right, dear?" she asked the jumpy blond.  
  
      Quistis nodded. "Yea... I was thinking though... About a scroll you once gave me..."  
  
      Matron sighed. "That scroll is nothing but trouble," she told Quistis, sitting down beside her. "It's a prophecy, really... Just like the battle with my children was a prophecy from a scroll, the one I gave you as a child was one as well."  
  
      "A prophecy for what?" the former Instructor questioned.  
  
      "For you my dear... I didn't tell you this as a child, but before you came to us at this orphanage you were the princess of a great Centra power... But when you were a baby, the kingdom was wiped out by the Lunar Cry," her Matron explained to her. "A dying queen left you in my arms, telling me that you would one day rise and claim the throne over Centra once more... But you weren't the only one she was carrying... In her other arm, she held Seifer... She told me that Seifer was a nobleman's son, betrothed to you, and together you would resurrect the kingdom of Centra."  
  
      "The Knight will become a King... The Watcher will become a Queen..." she whispered. It made sense somehow; Seifer had been a Sorceress' Knight and as an Instructor, it had been her nature to watch over her loved ones... "But, Matron, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
      "It wasn't the right time, my dear..."  
  
      Quistis nodded. "But what is going to happen? Another Lunar Cry?"  
  
      Matron nodded. "No, my sweet Quisty... This time Heaven itself will Cry."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
      Seifer watched the landscape race past him; What in the world was he thinking? Following Quistis Trepe around to give her a stupid scroll? No. He had to go. Something inside him told his heart she needed this scroll. It would save her life... And his. They had promised to be best friends long ago, although one of them seemed to forget when she started using a GF.  
  
      He glanced down at the rolled paper in his hands and unraveled it, reading it for the umpteenth time since he left Balamb, telling Raijin and Fujin he had business in Centra. This train was going to the growing city of Winhill, then he'd rent a car and drive to Centra via the newly developed bridge.  
  
      "The Knight will become a King..." he whispered to himself. He was a knight, but he was definitely no king. "...The Watcher will become a Queen..." And just who was the watcher... Plus the only queen he could think of was the Save the Queen that Quistis had oh so lovingly almost greeted him with three days ago. "Maybe, she'll have some answers for me..." He sat back in his chair as random thoughts entered his minds; Thoughts of memories long since stored in the back of his mind... A group of children, playing together, but two that always seemed to be together. Slowly, he drifted into a sound slumber, dreaming of days that once were.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
      Quistis sat watching the ocean lap at the sandy beach before her. She had remembered this very spot somehow, as if it had called her to sit there, past the yard and down the stone steps. "I'm a Queen..." she tried to convince herself. "How can that be? I wasn't even fit to lead a couple of SeeD cadets, how can I possible resurrect a whole kingdom..."  
  
      She looked past the waves and saw a dark, eerie fog rolling in from the ocean. Things were going way to fast for comfort. Just last night, Matron tells her she was a princess... Betrothed to Seifer Almasy nonetheless! And now the mist, she remembered from the scroll, was starting to come around. To top it off, she still didn't have a decent lead as to where Squall and Rinoa were! She had asked Edea and Cid, but they didn't know a damned thing either.  
  
      She sighed, laying back on the sand, gazing up at the sky, showered with precious glitter. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them slowly, seeing that the old lighthouse was working once more. She frowned; That hadn't been working a few minutes ago. She sat up and looked around. The mist was gone and there were two children sitting only inches from her. When she realized that they couldn't hear or see her, she gasped slightly, recognizing both the girl and the boy sitting before her, gazing up at the stars like she had been doing earlier.  
  
      It was her! And Seifer! As children? Did they even get along as children? Why were they sitting there now? The memories crept into her mind as she listened in as the little girl sat up, facing the boy, the scene becoming a blur to Quistis...  
  
      "... When yoo become King, then I'll be yoo're Queen..."  
  
      "...What if yoo become Queen first?..."  
  
      "...Then yoo'll be my King... we'll meet here... this very spot..."  
  
      "...How will we know?... "  
  
      "...'Cause we're best friends..."  
  
      Quistis closed her eyes once more and took a moment before opening them again. She looked around; The lighthouse was dark, and the mist had returned. The children were gone, but... Footsteps?  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
      Seifer had finally reached the Stone House; Stepping out of the car, he looked up at the familiar place and sighed, gazing at it's rebuilt beauty. Walking up the path, he was surprised to see Matron sitting on the doorstep. "It's late, Matron..."  
  
      "I knew you'd come, my dear Seifer... I assume you've had you're fill of dreams lately... As did Quisty..." she said to him, standing up, and giving him a needed hug.  
  
      Seifer nodded, holding up the scroll. "Yeah, but I just came to give Quistis her scroll back..."  
  
      Matron nodded. "Come inside, Seifer... Before you see Quistis, you need to know a few things about that scroll..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
      Quistis stood, the wind wiping at her flowing hair, watching the ocean intently. "So we ended up here after all?" said a familiar voice, causing her to turn around.  
  
      "Seifer? What are you doing here?" she asked, watching him come closer.  
  
      He held up the scroll. "I came to give you this, but Matron told me a few things I probably could have lived without... Plus I had a dream about this very spot a few days ago, telling me that I'd find you here... Heh, well more like a memory than a dream..."  
  
      Quistis took the scroll. "Well, thank you... You can go now."  
  
      Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you aren't a Queen just yet, you can't be ordering me around like that..."  
  
      Quistis rolled her eyes as she sat down on the beach once more. "So, Matron told you?"  
  
      Seifer nodded, sitting beside her. "Yup... Heh, so about that scroll... 'The King will seek the Queen'... I didn't realize it until now, after Matron told me, but I ended 'seeking' you, now didn't I? You think this whole prophecy thing is real?"  
  
      The former Instructor shrugged and motioned toward the fog in the horizon. "Well, there's the mist that supposed to shroud the world... What do you think?"  
  
      "Does this mean we have to save the world?" Seifer asked, laying down in the sand.  
  
      "I don't know," Quistis answered. "I'm still trying to get over the fact that we were best friends..."  
  
      Seifer sat up and looked at her, genuinely hurt. "Why is that so hard to believe? I tried to be your favorite for, what, the 8 or 9 years Squall and me were at Garden?"  
  
      Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? I thought you were just joking about that before..."  
  
      Seifer grunted in a slight resentment. "Of course I was serious, Instructor... I asked you if I was your favorite student, straight out, at Galbadia Garden.... Or did you're precious GF wipe that from your memory as well?"  
  
      Quistis sat silent. She did remember. Clear as day. "Not anymore..." she whispered.  
  
      "Yea, that's right, Quisty... 'Not anymore...' That's what you said to me..." Seifer told her, in a small angry tone. "My heart sunk... I was your favorite after all, but I wasn't anymore..."  
  
      "Seifer, I... I didn't know..." she said, turning to him, bringing her hands to her chest.  
  
      He shrugged. "I guess it's in the past now... But I always remembered, Quistis, that we promised to be right here... Even if it didn't register right away... I'm just sorry    you didn't remember any of it..." he told her, standing up. "Guess I was right all along, you always did like Zell and Squall better, eh? Zell always running to you for protection and Squall looking up to you..."  
  
      Watching Seifer leave, memories seemed to attack her like a pack of wolves... Or maybe they were engulfing her in a ring of... A burning circle of Fire... Fire from Seifer's eyes. "Wait!" she called after him just as he reached the foot of the stone steps.  
  
      Seifer turned. "Hm?" He grunted lightly as he was almost knocked back into the small cliff beside the steps as Quistis came running into his arms. "Instructor?"  
  
      "I'm so sorry... I do remember... It's just that..." Quistis cried, looking up at him. "I remembered that day in Galbadia Garden... But when I spoke to you, it wasn't you... You were my favorite, you always were... The days at the orphanage stayed with me for so long while we were apart... But we grew apart... I know you saw that we grew apart."  
  
      Seifer gently pushed her off. "No. We didn't grow apart. You drifted away..." Seifer gestured toward the beach. "Look at this... Quisty, I've waited for so long just for you to remember; My heart has been at this very spot for years... And I was hoping you'd remember at Galbadia so that I'd have a reason to stay with you... But your answer drove me to where I ended up going... I don't blame you, but I do blame the fact that you didn't remember."  
  
      Quistis took a deep breath. "Seifer, I want to be your best friend... If you'll have me... I can't even begin to tell you how happy you made me during our time here... Maybe it is the GF's fault, maybe it's mine... But I want to go back to the old days... And we're going to have to at least get along to face whatever this stupid scroll has in store for us..." she told him, looking into his deep, teal, greenish blue eyes.  
  
      Seifer shook his head and parted his lips to speak, but Quistis silenced him with a finger. "Wait a second... We were best friends then, and it was a promise we both should have kept... And now with what Matron tells us, we can really be a King and Queen... Please, Seifer, think about it... The very promise we made was to meet here... Here we are... Seifer, be my king?"  
  
      "Quistis, maybe I'm the only one that noticed this, but we did keep our promise in a complicated way... We did stay best friends... The teasing... The way we pushed other to our limits at Garden... The jealousy... The unanswered questions... We did stay close, but it didn't hit us then... Now we have a second chance..." He looked down at her, staring into her crystalline blue eyes. She had always been in his heart, as a best friend definitely, and at times more than that. Could he admit to her that he felt she was more than just a best friend? What could she be thinking?  
  
      Little did Seifer know, however, that she was thinking the same thing. She had been jealous of Rinoa, but not because of Squall... Not just Squall at least. She had been jealous because she took two the men that mattered most to her... First her best friend, and then her little brother. She had thought she lost them both... Until Seifer asked if he was her favorite... Yes, he was, he always was... He was her best friend, always in her heart... But was friendship all she wanted from him?  
  
      Both their questions were answered as strong field of gravity seemed to orbit around them, pushing them closer. Quistis moved slowly toward the Knight turned King as he leaned down toward her. Their lips lingered for a moment, but failed to connect as a loud voice echoed from the top of the stairway. "Yoooooooo!"  
  
      Both Knight and Watcher jerked their heads up toward the familiar voice. "Zell?" Quistis asked, bewildered as to why he and Kim were now walking down the stone steps.  
  
      "Quisty! We found out where Squall and Rinoa are... But, uh, we can't exactly get them back right now..."  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? (for other reasons than new characters) Good? Bad? Great? Sucked? Give me some input! ^.^ I hope that you liked it though... I'd like to know how you thought of it so leave a review or email me if you'd like! Thanks for reading! I hope to keep this series going for a bit! 


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